Featured image for “OPINION | Don’t close your eyes”
March 22, 2023

OPINION | Don’t close your eyes

College DEI programs provide safe space and solace for those of us looking for community in a dominant culture that’s hostile to difference.

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Featured image for “Duval Schools book-review supervisor, who called gay characters ‘contrary to the design of humanity,’ is resigning”
March 8, 2023

Duval Schools book-review supervisor, who called gay characters ‘contrary to the design of humanity,’ is resigning

The supervisor’s departure comes as Duval Schools has received national scrutiny for its book review process.

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Featured image for “OPINION | The real life implications of erasing history”
February 15, 2023

OPINION | The real life implications of erasing history

What came home from school was a list of people, places, or things the students could portray. Out of two dozen options, only four were Black people.

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Featured image for “OPINION | The lie of invisibility”
January 4, 2023

OPINION | The lie of invisibility

Banning books eliminates an opportunity for students to expand beyond their own surroundings and worldview.

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Featured image for “Duval Schools to keep 73 ‘diverse, inclusive’ books out of classrooms”
December 22, 2022

Duval Schools to keep 73 ‘diverse, inclusive’ books out of classrooms

Dozens of books the Duval County school district ordered in the summer of 2021 will never hit classroom shelves. That’s the result of an ongoing review after the district pulled almost 200 books this spring while the Florida Legislature passed limits on what teachers can say about race, gender and sexual orientation in classrooms and set new rules for purchasing

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Featured image for “2 new Northwest Jacksonville schools mix HBCU culture with elementary curriculum”
November 28, 2022

2 new Northwest Jacksonville schools mix HBCU culture with elementary curriculum

Mikynzi Alexander spoke with confidence as she recited Useni Eugene Perkins’ poem “Hey, Black Child” at her school’s ribbon-cutting last month.  Mikynzi is a first-grader at Becoming Collegiate Academy, where she learned the poem this fall, concluding with the lines:  Learn what you must learn Do what you can do And tomorrow your nation will be what you want it

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Featured image for “OPINION | Requesting relief for the people”
October 19, 2022

OPINION | Requesting relief for the people

I am one of the millions of people who submitted an application for student debt relief. I attended the Florida State University as an out-of-state student from 2004 to 2008. My mother paid cash for my first three semesters. My remaining time at FSU — including my summer in London, where I interned at NBC — was financed by student

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Featured image for “OPINION | The 7-hour solution for work-life balance”
September 7, 2022

OPINION | The 7-hour solution for work-life balance

Why isn’t the school day as long as the work day?  That’s the thought that’s been running through my mind since my 7-year-old returned to the classroom last month. After three years of only creative entrepreneurship through writing and publishing, I returned to the workforce in a fully remote position in April of this year. The expected work hours are

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Featured image for “OPINION | Government can work. Here’s proof”
August 31, 2022

OPINION | Government can work. Here’s proof

Spend a lot of time browsing social media or watching Fox, CNN or MSNBC, and it would be easy to be cynical about the ability of government to succeed. There is a lot of negativity in our public discourse.  It’s time we take a look at what is working. Here in North Florida, there are examples of government doing its

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Featured image for “OPINION | Advocating for humanity is not indoctrination”
August 24, 2022

OPINION | Advocating for humanity is not indoctrination

As humans, we have an average of 6,000 thoughts per day. We are also flooded with as much as 34 GB of information a day.  These messages worm their way into our consciousness, settle into our subconscious and form our thought patterns. These thoughts shape our perspective and mold our world view. They create deep narratives tied to how we

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